AN OT ANALYSIS OF MANDARIN INTERFERENCE IN THE PRONUNCIATION OF ENGLISH OBSTRUENT-OBSTRUENT CLUSTERS

Abstract

Considerable research has focused on the interference of the native language (L1) in second language (L2) learning, motivating the present study to look more deeply into how Mandarin interferes in the pronunciation of English obstruent-obstruent clusters by Taiwan Mandarin-speaking elementary school children. Optimality Theory is utilized to provide a formal analysis of Taiwan elementary school children`s strategies for pronouncing English obstruent-obstruent clusters: schwa [ə] insertion or obstruent deletion. English syllables allow complex syllable margins, while Mandarin syllables strictly forbid obstruent clusters at syllable margins. Therefore, Taiwan elementary school children might utilize either epenthesis or the deletion of segments to deal with the pronunciation of English words with complex syllable margins. The constraint ranking proposed in the study reflects that Taiwan elementary school children`s pronunciation of English obstruent-obstruent clusters shows interference from Mandarin. Utilizing the findings in the present study and the propositions contained within the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis, the study will provide pedagogical suggestions on form-focused instruction and corrective feedback.

已有很多學者從事第一語言對第二語言習得干涉的研究，而本研究主要的目的是利用優選理論（Optimality Theory）來分析台灣以國語為母語的國小學童發英語阻音－阻音串時，國語對其發音的干涉，並進一步根據研究發現和對比分析假說，提供有效的教學建議。英語的音節結構可允許子音串，但國語的音節結構並不允許阻音－阻音串出現在音節的邊緣。台灣國小學童受國語的干涉，會利用二種策略來簡化英語阻音－阻音串的發音：插入中央元音/ə/或刪除其中一個阻音。研究發現此制約排序層級（constraint ranking）MAX-IO（ONSET）, DEP-IO（ONSET）,MINWD>> O-CONTIGUITY-IO, CODACONDITION, DEP-IO>> ANCHORIO-R>> NOCODA>> MAX-IO著實反應國語會對其以國語為母語的台灣國小學童發英語阻音－阻音串時進行干涉。